Force fit terminal



FORCE FIT TERMINAL Filed Aug. 20, 1963 fzzveniozz' Edwaimi B. Mz'iche 22,

y gdk J1 zzf United States Patent 3,233,033 FORCE FIT TERMINAL Edward B. Mitchell, Woburn, Mass, assignor to United- Carr Incorporated, a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 303,381 2 Claims. (Cl. 17459) This invention relates to terminals and more specifically to force fit terminals.

An object of the invention is to provide a terminal which engages two leads from a bulb or the like without soldering.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a force fit termination which co-operates with the housing to hold leads from a bulb or the like in fixed electrical contact with the termination.

Other objects of the invention will, in part, be obvious and will, in part, appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of an electrical assembly;

FIG. 2 is a section taken on line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of a variation of an electrical assembly shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a section taken on line 44 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the contact shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a plan view of the contact shown in FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the housing shown in FIG. 4.

In the drawings there is shown an indicator comprising a housing 10 formed of an insulating material such as nylon, a neon bulb 12 having a pair of leads 14 extending therefrom, and a pair of terminals 16.

The housing 10 comprises a tubular body portion 18 having a first opening 20 and a second opening, the first opening 20 having an internal circumferential wall to provide a shoulder 24 with said body portion 18. The second opening is divided into two apertures by a base element 28. A divider element 26 is formed integral with the base element 28 and formed with a wedge-like configuration having its apex directed toward the first opening 20. The divider element 26 extends into a portion of the area encompassed by the body portion 18. A circumferential internal shoulder 30 is formed integral with the body portion 18 adjacent the second opening as shown in FIG. 2.

Each terminal 16 comprises a head portion 36 in a form of a truncated cone. The free terminal end of the head portion 36 has a diameter less than the diameter of the base portion 38 which forms the base of the truncated cone forming the head portion 36. Integral with and extending from the base portion 38 of the head portion 36 is a cylindrical body element 40. The body element 40 is formed so that its greatest diameter is less than the diameter of the base portion 38. A blade contact 42 is formed integral with the opposite end of the body element 40 from that of the head portion 36. The blade contact 42 comprises two elements a blade element and an engagement element 44. The engagement element 44 is integral with the body element 40 and has a diameter greater than the body element 40 forming a shoulder therewith. The blade element of the blade contact 42 has its plane parallel with the plane of the axis of the terminal 16 and at right angles with the planes formed by the base port-ion 38 and the engagement element 44. The shoulders formed by the base portion 38 and the engagement element 44 are in spaced substantially parallel relationship with each other.

A separator 32 extends from the opposite side of the base element 28 in the opposite direction from the divider 26. The separator 32 has portions of less width than the base element 28 to form shoulders therewith.

The housing 10, the bulb 12 and the terminal 16 are engaged in the following manner. The bulb 12 is placed within the area defined by the housing 10 with the leads 14 passing through the apertures formed in the second opening with one lead on each side of the divider element 26 and the base element 28. The two apertures formed by the base element 28 and the wall of the housing 18 have diameters which are substantially equal to the diameter of the body element 40 of the terminal 16. The leads 14 are kept fairly close to the internal wall portion of the housing 10 and away from the base element 28. Each of the terminals 16 are then passed into one of the apertures formed by the base element 28 with the head portion 36 passing through first toward the first opening 20. It is obvious that the material of the housing 10 must be of suflicient flexibility to allow the head portion 36 to pass through. When the head portion 36. is passed through, the shoulder formed by the base portion 38 and the body element 40 rests in superposed abutting relationship on the internal shoulder 30 of the housing 10. The engagement element 44 which also forms a shoulder with the body element 40 will also rest against the terminal end of the housing 10. The separator 32 lies between the blade contacts 42 of the terminals 16 as shown in FIG. 2. The diameter of the separator 32 may be formed having a diameter slightly less than the base element 28, as set forth hereinbefore, forming a shoulder therewith which will be engaged by the engagement element 44 when the terminals are engaged with the housing 10. At this juncture the wire leads 14 will be tightly pressed against the internal wall of the housing 10 and against the internal shoulder 30 and also against the terminal end of the housing 10. This provides an excellent electrical connection between the leads and the terminals which will not loosen under ordinary operating conditions. The separator 32, of course, is made of an insulating material. To complete the assembly a plug button 45 of the type well known in the fastener art having an aperture formed therethrough is engaged to a lens 46. This engagement is accomplished in the following manner. The lens 46 is formed of a transparent or translucent material, and is generally cup-shaped, open at one end and has a flange 51 formed integrally around the external circumference of the lens 46 at its-open end as' shown in FIG. 2. The external diameter of the lens 46 is approximately equal to the internal diameter of the housing 10. The flange 51 is formed to engage, in superposed abutting relationship, the internal shoulder 24. The plug button 45 is then passed down over the lens 46 so that it will rest on the flange 51 and a part of the housing 10. Means are provided on the housing 10 to engage the legs 55 of the plug button 45. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2, this means is provided by angular shoulders 58.

There is shown in FIGS. 3 through 7 a variation of the indicator shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The variation comprised a housing 10:: formed of a plastic material, such as nylon, a bulb 12a having a pair of leads 14a, a pair of terminals 16a, and a lens 47 which is formed of a material which may transmit light.

The housing 10a comprises a tubular body portion 18a open at both ends and having a base 48 which partially closes off one of the open ends of the body portion 18a and from which a divider element 27 extends within the area encompassed by the body portion 18a. The divider element 27 has the external configuration of a wedge whose sides merge into the inner surface of the body portion 18a as shown in FIG. 4. A pair of oval apertures 50 are formed through the base element 48. A rectangular extension 52 extends from the base 48 away from the body portion 18a to provide means of separating the two terminals 16a. At each of the sides of the rectangular extension 52 a ridge element 54 is formed as shown in FIG. 4. The external surface of the rectangular extension 52. is arced to conform with and appears as a continuation of the external surface of the body portion 18a. The ridge elements 54 on each side of the rectangular extension 52 form a channel within which the tangs 56 offthe terminal 16a'will ultimately lie. Each ,of the terminals 16a comprises a head portion 36:: which is slightly arced and has the external configuration of a truncated triangle, a body element 40a having an .oval external cdnfi'guration, which is tubular, and a blade contact42a. The greatest axis of the body element 40a, is 16551112 1; the 'width'of the base-portion 38a of the head'portion 36a, thereby providing a pair of shoulders th'ebbdy element 40a. Extending from the body element 40a at the'o'ppositeend of it from that of the head portion 36a, a blade contact 42;; is formed. At approximately .the point of juncture between the blade contact'4'2a and the body element 40a a-pair of tangs 56 isformed'integral with, and extending toward the same plane'as'that'to which the long axis of the body element 402: is parallel.

,t The method of engaging the leads of the variant disclosed in FIGS. 4 through 7 is similar to that shown in the embodiment disclosed in FIGS. 1 through 3. The base portion 38a functions in the same way as the base portion 38 and the pair of tangs 56 function in a way similar tothe engagement element 44. The fact that the body element40 a, of the variant, has a longitudinal slot, assists the body element 40a in its engagement with the apertures 50 formed through the base element 48 in that a certain amount of flexing can take place within the body element40a. The configuration of the divider element 27 in relation to the bodyportion 18a is such that it merges into the body portion 18a, allows a better engagement between the terminal 16a and the housing a. It also assists in assuring that the'leads are against the inside Wall of the housing 104. v

While there has been illustrated and described preferred embodiments of the invention, itshould be understood that the invention is best defined by the following a m lai 1. The combination of a housing having two ends,'an electrical elementhaving at least two leads, said housing havinga base portion'closing otffa part of one of said r1ds,said base portion having a pair of apertures formed therethrou'gh, an internal shoulder formed adjacent each of said apertures and a contact comprising a body portion having two ends one of said ends having an integral head portion and the other end having an integral terminal portion, said head portion and said terminal portion, each having means of forming a shoulder with said body portion, said body portion being within said aperture and said shoulder formed by said head portion in superposed relation to said internal shoulder and said lead sandwiched between said body portion and the wall of said aperture a divider portion etxendihg from said base portion into the area defined by said housingbetween the axis of said apertures and a separator portion extending from the opposite side of said base portion from said divider por tion extending beyond the end plane of said housing.

2. An electrical contact comprising a tubular body portion having two open ends, a unitary arcuate head portion, having a continuous wall, formed integral with one of said ends, having the external configuration of a truncated triangle and having a base width greater than the greater axes of said body portion, providing a pair of shoulders in angular relationship with said body-portion and adjacent thereto, said ;body portion having a generally oval external configuration and a blade contact integral with the other end of said body portion, said blade contact having a 'pair of tangs integral with and extending in right angle relationship therewith, said tangs being in spaced relation to each other andadjacent said body portion.

References Cited by the'Exarniner UNITED STATES PATENTS D.'142,l05 8/19 45 Meminger 339-276 X 2,169,219 8/1939 Brownstein 33962 2,197,578 4/19 40 Darnell 339276 X 2,544,554 3/1951 Holmes -2 1'74-59 X 2,595,188 4/1952 -Delcamp 339-17 2,648,031 8/1953 Lang et a1.

2,677,116 4/1954 Ritter 339-64 2,704,834 3/1955 Heller 339 X 2,716,744 8/1955 Swanson et a1 339-276 X 2,866,171 12/1958 Wagner et al. 3392l0'X 2,917,723 12/1959 Gluck. 3,106,435 10/1963 Yopp' 339217 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,023,564 3/1953 France.

IOH N F. BURNSQPrimary Examiner.

DARRELL L. CLAY, Examiner. 

2. AN ELECTRICAL CONTACT COMPRISING A TUBULAR BODY PORTION HAVING TWO OPEN ENDS, A UNITARY ARCUATE HEAD PORTION, HAVING A CONTINUOUS WALL, FORMED INTEGRAL WITH ONE OF SAID ENDS, HAVING THE EXTERNAL CONFIGURATION OF A TRUNCATED TRIANGLE AND HAVING A BASE WIDTH GREATER THAN THE GREATER AXES OF SAID BODY PORTION, PROVIDING A PAIR OF SHOULDERS IN ANGULAR RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID BODY PORTION AND ADJACENT THERETO, SAID BODY PORTION HAVING A GENERALLY OVAL 